Various methods for managing what is known as a user's digital identity are known from the prior art.
Microsoft Windows CardSpace is a client-based digital identity system that is intended to allow Internet users to provide their digital identity to online services. One of the drawbacks here is that the user can manipulate the digital identity.
OpenID, in contrast, is a server-based system. An identity server stores a database containing the digital identities of the registered users. One of the drawbacks here is inadequate data protection, because the digital identities of the users are stored centrally and the user behavior can be recorded.
US 2007/0294431 A1 discloses another method for managing the digital identities that also requires a user registration.
A method for reading at least one attribute from an ID token is known from DE 10 2008 000 067 A1, which is considered to be the prior art closest to the present invention. Refinements of this method are disclosed in the patent applications DE 10 2008 040 416, DE 10 2008 042 262, DE 10 2009 026 953, DE 10 2009 027 723, and DE10 2009 027 681.